Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared in felony bond hearings with District Judge Don Bourne on Wednesday inside the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, bond amounts and anticipated charges are listed. They will appear in Pope County Circuit Court at a later date. â ˘ Rebecca D. Bailey, 37, possession of a controlled substance -- $7,500. â ˘ Travis D. Eden, 35, two counts of delivery of a controlled substance -- $10,000.

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Deal accused of firearm theftTammy R. Deal, 51, told District Judge Don Bourne she believed she was being set up during felony bond hearings Wednesday inside the Pope County Detention Center. Deal, who also appeared in bond hearings on July 6 on a separate charge, said she believed both incidents occurred because someone was trying to "ruin her life." "That man [complainant] has cameras all around his property," she said, beginning to sob. "Please look at the cameras. Thi...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsimpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Wastewater improvement project hits West MainThe Basin 7 and 14 wastewater improvement project by City Corporation required for the consent administrative order (CAO) by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has begun on West Main Street. According to Lance Bartlett, chief engineering officer for City Corp., there are two sections that will be worked on, one between Reno and New Orleans and one between Independence and Keokuck. The two sections are expected to be comple...

Johnson County Idol begins todayCLARKSVILLE — The Johnson County Idol and Lip Sync Battle competitions will be over the course of two days during the Johnson County Peach Festival. The kids Idol will begin at 6 p.m. today, the adults Idol will start at 6 p.m. Friday and the Lip Sync Battle will be Friday at the courthouse square in Clarksville. The competition originated in 2008 and was founded by KC and Tommy Carrell to display talent found in Arkansas. It was originally at...

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Courier Staff ReportsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Know and Do (July 21, 2016)• Alzheimer’s support group meeting today A meeting of the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Dardanelle Senior Activity Center, 701 N. 5th Street. Any caregiver of someone affected by Alzheimer’s disease or memory loss is invited to attend. • Customer service workshop at ATU The Arkansas Tech Small Business and Technology Development Center and the Russellville Chamber of Commerce will present a Customer Ser...

Bonnie Brown of country music trio, the Browns, diesAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK -- Bonnie Brown, one of three siblings whose smooth harmonies as the Browns influenced generations of singers from the Beatles to Lady Antebellum, died Saturday at age 77. Her publicist, Kirt Webster, said Brown died in Little Rock of complications from lung cancer. With older siblings Jim Ed Brown and Maxine Brown, the three helped define the Nashville sound of the 1950s and '60s. They were inducted in 2015 into t...

Home sales down slightlyLITTLE ROCK -- For the second straight month, new and used residential home sales were down a little over 1 percent for the month of May, but nothing compared to the 21 percent drop in April, according to statistics released last week by the Arkansas Realtors Association (ARA). There were 71 new and used residential homes sold in may in Pope County, compared to the 72 sold in May 2015 for a 1.09 percent decline. Through May 2016, 280 new and u...

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BY SEAN INGRAM
sean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Garretson arrested for failure to registerJay L. Garretson, 54, was arrested on July 13 after the Pope County Sheriff's Department received a tip that Garretson, a convicted sex offender, was living unregistered in Dover. Garretson had his bond set at $50,000 by District Judge Don Bourne during Monday's felony bond hearings inside the Pope County Detention Center. Officers located Garretson on July 4 standing on the porch at 45 Grandview Drive. Police waited 10 days before making cont...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsimpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

RussVegas Tailgating ClassicRussellville's first standard triathlon is already in the works and scheduled for September 10 at Pleasant View Park. According to event organizer Chris Olsen, who is also the race director for the RussVegas Half Marathon, the RussVegas Sprint Triathlon is a small part of a much larger event -- the Russvegas Tailgating Classic. Just like the RussVegas Half, the event will benefit Arkansas Children's Hospital and the River Valley Circle of Frie...

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BY JENN TERRELL
terrell@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Renowned Cavaliers perform with ATU band campersThe Cavaliers, a seven-time Drum Corps International champion organization based in Rosemont, Ill., will perform alongside students attending the Arkansas Tech University high school band camp tonight. The performance is at 6:45 p.m. at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field in Russellville. “Our band camp students will have an opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with individuals who do an activity very similar to theirs, and they do it at the h...

PCFCC to have Christmas in JulyThe Pope County Foster Care Coalition (PCFCC) will celebrate Christmas in July to collect donations and gifts to be used as Christmas presents for children in foster care in Pope County. Lorrie Ellis, FSW, community engagement specialist, said there are 82 children in foster care, in Pope County. “The goal is to raise awareness but also to be more proactive with donations we receive for Christmas gifts for the kids,” Ellis said. “We get so man...

Ola Council reviews fun park bids, property owners put on noticeOLA — The Ola City Council met July 11 to review bid options on the fun park project and to hear department reports. According to Brenda Swicegood, recorder, the city received a $45,000 grant from the Arkansas Parks and Tourism for the fun park project that includes improvements to be made to the Ola City Park. Bids from contractors were opened June 29 and ranged in cost from $75,000-84,000. Ronald Osterhout, council member, said the city has ...

FDA has questions for hand sanitizer makersWASHINGTON -- Federal health officials want to know whether hand sanitizers used by millions of Americans work as well as manufacturers claim -- and whether there are any health risks to their growing use. The Food and Drug Administration is asking for new studies on how the antiseptic gels and rubs fight germs and get absorbed into the body, with a particular focus on children and pregnant women. The proposal recently unveiled is part of an o...

New Pope County treasurer wants to take care of officeLarry Holman isn't just the next treasurer of Pope County. The Johnson County native is well known to local city and county government officials as he prepares to take over for Pope County Treasurer Donna Wall on January 1, 2017. Holman, born and raised in Lutherville, conducted audits for city and county governments when he worked for the Division of State Legislative Audit for over two decades. He is a man who explained he wants to share the...

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BY SEAN INGRAMsean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Hector school board accepts Graves resignation, leases two new busesHECTOR -- Hector School Superintendent Mark Taylor opened his first board meeting the night of July 11 by announcing the resignation of a board member. Brad Graves, whose term expires at the end of September, sent a letter of resignation which the remaining board members voted unanimously to accept. Taylor said state law mandated that the board must appoint a replacement within 30 days. He said the replacement would serve through August and Se...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Atkins aldermen argue about animal ordinanceATKINS -- The Atkins City Council voted during its regular meeting Tuesday to review its ordinance relating to animals in the city limits after Aldermen Bro Price and Sean Rehm exchanged some heated discussion about whether or not a property owner should be allowed to keep his goats. Price said it was a touchy subject, and council members got touchy about it before they passed a resolution to go through the ordinance that stated goats, hogs an...

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BY SEAN INGRAMsean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Clarksville gets 1.3 mile trail at cost of $200,000CLARKSVILLE — The Clarksville City Council met Monday to discuss a new trail, sidewalk expansion and the appointment of Bob Norris. Mayor Mark Simpson said work has begun on a new 1.3-mile long trail approved by the City Council. The trail will be off of Crawford Street by the high school. He said the council permitted $200,000 for the trail which will be all concrete, 12 feet wide and handicap accessible. “The trail is near the high school so...

Committee approves city hazing policiesThe Russellville City Council's Personnel Committee voted to approve a hazing policy suggested by Human Resources Director Tanessa Vaughn during its July 10 meeting at City Hall. Chairman Garland Steuber, Aldermen Larry Brown, Richard Harris and Eric Westcott also unanimously approved implementing and updating the city's workplace violence policy, its complaint process and complaint form. According to the hazing policy, "The city of Russellvil...

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BY SEAN INGRAM
sean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Mosquitoes, they're backWith warmer Arkansas temperatures comes the return of mosquitoes and the diseases some can possibly carry. Some cities in Arkansas combat the pesky insects by spraying their towns. Russellville does spray some areas but does not conduct city-wide spraying. Morrilton sprays twice a week during the summer. "We have been doing it for years," Morrilton Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer said. "Each year as the weather warms up citizens start asking when we are...

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BY JENN TERRELLterrell@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley